Blackhawks vs. Kings: Where Has Jonathan Toews Gone in the Postseason?

Jonathan Toews was the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup when the Chicago Blackhawks won the storied chalice in 2010.

Toews was 22 when he had that honor. As Gary Bettman handed him the Stanley Cup in Philadelphia, he took his turn with it and then dutifully passed it to his teammates.

The Stanley Cup was not the only award that Toews won that night. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the postseason. Toews scored seven goals and had 22 assists during that magical playoff run, the team's first since 1961.

Three years later, Toews and the Blackhawks have had another remarkable year. They dominated the regular season and put a positive light on the sport after a lockout had wiped out the first three-plus months of the regular season.

The Blackhawks were consistent nearly every night, picking up at least a point the first 24 games before they dropped one in regulation. They played so well that they were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, where the influential magazine claimed the Blackhawks had "reinvigorated the beleaguered NHL."

Toews has been the driving force on the team since his rookie season in 2007-08, and his combination of work ethic and skill has been the secret to his success.

While teammate Patrick Kane has had several off-the-ice issues over the years that have been widely reported by the media, Toews has been so remarkably dedicated to his profession that he has earned the nickname of Captain Serious.

But something has gone askew for Toews in the postseason this year. His production level has dropped precipitously.

It's not about a lack of focus or effort, but his point total is not what it should be. Alarmingly, Toews has scored one goal in 15 playoff games. He has added six assists, and his seven points have left him in a tie for sixth on the team's postseason scoring list.

In addition to trailing stars like Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith, Toews is also behind Bryan Bickell and Michal Handzus and tied with Andrew Shaw on the team's scoring list.

Since the Blackhawks have been winning and advancing in the playoffs, Toews's scoring problems have not been front and center.

But now that the Blackhawks are in the middle of hockey's version of the Final Four, it seems that Toews must break out if the team is going to fulfill its potential and win a second Stanley Cup in four seasons.

Head coach Joel Quenneville told the media (following the 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final) that he wants to see his top stars have more possession of the puck, specifically talking about Kane, but implying he needs more from Toews as well.

Toews is not the first star to struggle offensively in the postseason.

Joe Thornton has never been able to outrun his reputation as a disappointing playoff performer since going pointless while playing with an injury in a 2004 seven-game playoff series for the Boston Bruins.

Thornton's postseason production has been fairly consistent since being traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2005, but since his team has never gotten to the Stanley Cup Final, his playoff reputation has suffered.

Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators has scored 426 goals and 682 assists in his 17-year career. However, the postseason has not always been kind to him. He has scored two goals or fewer in eight of his 14 playoff appearances.

Marcel Dionne was a Hall of Famer who played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Kings. Dionne was a prolific goal scorer throughout his career—731 total goals (50 or more a season six times)—but he scored one goal or fewer in six of his nine postseason appearances.

It's not out of the question that Toews is playing with an injury. NHL teams hesitate to give specific injury information, with upper-body and lower-body injuries often sufficing as disclosure.

Players may not report their injuries at all because they want to stay on the ice. Toews plays consistently hard and has had his fair share of collisions, so he could conceivably be in that group.

But that's really no different than anyone else. If a player is in the lineup, he is expected to contribute.

There's very little for Quenneville to do. There's no complaint about his captain's defensive play or his work in the faceoff circle, where he is winning 54.1 percent of the time (although he lost 13 of 21 faceoffs in Game 3).

Quenneville is not going to take Toews out of the lineup or reduce his playing time.

Toews is simply not scoring enough.

His team has managed to survive thus far without a vintage performance from its captain, but he needs to find the back of the net with some frequency if the Blackhawks are going to survive in the Western Conference Final and succeed in the Stanley Cup Final.